How much difference does a lightweight bike really make.

[markharry66]

Went cycling with friend from work West Gate (margate) to crayford. Of course being an idiot flawed it in first few miles paid for it later on. My bike is a triban 5. My friends bike as he kept informing me cost £1000. On hills noticed the ease with which he was able to get up hills. Does a lightweight bike really make much difference other than hills etc.

 

[Cuchilo]

I had people passing me up box hill yesterday on old steel bikes . They where almost sprinting up it
I think rider fitness has more to do with it but I can go further easier on my carbon bike .

 

[Rob3rt]

Went cycling with friend from work West Gate (margate) to crayford. Of course being an idiot flawed it in first few miles paid for it later on. My bike is a triban 5. My friends bike as he kept informing me cost £1000. On hills noticed the ease with which he was able to get up hills. Does a lightweight bike really make much difference other than hills etc.

No.

Also a £1k bike is unlikely to be all that light.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

W = F • d • cos Θ

In theory a heavier bike requires a greater force to be exerted in order to achieve the same displacement.

Is the difference material when we are talking one bike vs another? Very very unlikely at consumer levels of equipment. When it comes to hills it is usually fitness, technique and gear selection that make one rider look at ease vs another.

 

[biggs682]

another vote for fitness and gear rarios and selecting right gear at right time

 

[MikeG]

My winter bike weighs 13kg. My summer bike weighs 8kg. I go about 2mph quicker, on average, on my summer bike on the same ride. Not all of the difference can be attributed to weight, because the winter bike has winter tyres, and being a road-biased hybrid, sits me in a more upright position. The huge difference between the two in terms of riding performance, is acceleration (my summer bike will have much lighter wheels than the winter one).

So, the answer is that weight makes a difference, but not as big a difference as one might think, and is certainly far less important than rider fitness.

 

[SS Retro]

No.

Also a £1k bike is unlikely to be all that light.

Agreed not much difference in weight between the £1000 and Taliban.
To the O.P loosing body mass will have a much more notable difference.

 

[swansonj]

Difference in all up weight made by a lighter bike: a few %, maybe up to 10% in extremes
Difference in aerodynamic drag made by the more aerodynamic riding position that may accompany a lighter bike, and difference in rolling resistance made by the better tyres that likewise may accompany the lighter bike: up to 10%, or even a few tens of % if comparing different styles of bike
Difference in the extra effort a rider is inspired to make by a bike that feels stiffer and more responsive (and which he knows cost more): surely at least 10%
Difference in fitness levels between different riders: 100% or more

 

[MikeG]

To the O.P loosing body mass will have a much more notable difference.

Pet gripe. Loose = not tight, rhymes with goose. Lose = can't find, deliberately shed etc. rhymes with shoes[/derail]

 

[nickyboy]

Go to this page
http://www.analyticcycling.com/ForcesLessWeight_Page.html

It provides a reasonably accurate modelling of the effect of weight on different types of climb. You will see that the effects are small !

For example, I inputted data for Snake Pass (5.2km @6.8%). Recently I bought an 8kg bike and retired my 11.5kg bike for the summer. The effect the model calculates is 48 seconds.....and that is a 20 minutes + hill.

I don't know Box Hill but it will be shorter than Snake Pass. Pop the numbers in yourself but I would guess the effect of, say, an 8kg bike v Triban up there would be 20 seconds at most.

Losing weight will improve climbing but you need to lose a lot to have a major effect - 3.5kg off body weight will be the same as 3.5kg off the bike. Combine it with getting the watts up

 

[raleighnut]

 

[SS Retro]

Pet gripe. Loose = not tight, rhymes with goose. Lose = can't find, deliberately shed etc. rhymes with shoes[/derail]

Excellent glad I feed your pet gripe you crack on and have a nice day and watch out for the geese.

 

[Rob3rt]

Go to this page
http://www.analyticcycling.com/ForcesLessWeight_Page.html

It provides a reasonably accurate modelling of the effect of weight on different types of climb. You will see that the effects are small !

For example, I inputted data for Snake Pass (5.2km @6.8%). Recently I bought an 8kg bike and retired my 11.5kg bike for the summer. The effect the model calculates is 48 seconds.....and that is a 20 minutes + hill.

I don't know Box Hill but it will be shorter than Snake Pass. Pop the numbers in yourself but I would guess the effect of, say, an 8kg bike v Triban up there would be 20 seconds at most.

Losing weight will improve climbing but you need to lose a lot to have a major effect - 3.5kg off body weight will be the same as 3.5kg off the bike. Combine it with getting the watts up

In my world 48 seconds is a huge saving!

 

[markharry66]

agreed with that plus fact he was taller and thinner might help lol

 

[Peter Armstrong]

Watch this video

View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DRQwKREgvI